Rising and Falling 4
by AnakinCaffrey
Summary: The fourth addition - rewritten - to this series. The war has slowed down, allowing everyone some downtime. Can the heroes stay sane as problems worsen between themselves? [DISCONTINUED]
1. Three Months Later

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

**Three months later.**

Three _months _have gone by and I feel as though my relationship with my wife is slowly deteriorating, crumbling into the dusty floors we walk on within the temple.

Anima has been haunting my dreams ever since she killed me. _Again._

Ahsoka and I sat in the lounge. We sat on separate sides of the room and faked a meditation session. I knew she was worried about me and she knew that I wouldn't meditate.

I heard light footsteps coming closer to the lounge and I opened my eyes, glancing to the left. My daughter came into view and smiled widely at me. "Daddy, can we train?"

I looked at Ahsoka to see her staring right back at me. I frowned at her as tears began to form in her eyes. "In a few minutes, baby. Can you go change into your training clothes?" I whispered.

She jumped in excitement and nodded several times before running off.

I stood up and crossed the room, kneeling in front of Ahsoka. I took her hand in mine and stared up at her face. "Talk to me."

Her eyes closed and her body trembled as she began to cry harder. "Soka, talk to me."

She leaned forward and thrust herself into my arms. I held her against me tightly and kissed her montrals.

My heart was crushed as I listened to her quiet sobs. I stroked her rear lek and closed my eyes. I knew she was still bothered by the fact that I'd died twice already.

I understood why she was upset, but this was three months ago. I wasn't sure what was going on now, but it always related to that day.

"I'm sorry, Ani," she whispered, straightening up to wipe her eyes.

I put my hands on either side of her face and rubbed her cheeks, wiping the tears away. "Shh. It's okay."

She smiled weakly at me and I kissed her nose. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She nodded slowly, staring up into my eyes. "Yes, but after the kids are asleep. You've got a training date with your daughter. I need to give the other two a bath."

"I'll wash Shmi up once we come back and then _we _can take a bath. How does that sound?"

Her smile widened and she laughed. I lowered my hands to hers and held them tightly. "That sounds wonderful, my love. It's getting late, so I may try to take a nap while you're with her."

"If you're asleep when I come back, then I won't wake you. We can bathe before the kids get up in the morning."

She tilted her face towards mine and I lowered mine to hers, kissing her lips slowly and passionately. Our kisses were somewhat audible and echoed in the lounge, but that didn't matter to either of us in this moment.

Things had been kind of rough in the last few months. She believed that she'd gotten pregnant again and was really disappointed to find out that we weren't adding another addition to our family. She was almost afraid to make love to me anymore because she didn't think I wanted any more kids.

The last time we'd spoken about it, we'd created an argument. I had to tell her numerous times that I wanted another baby as long as it was _ours._ She thought I meant something else by that and… Well, it resulted in my leaving the temple for a few days.

Needless to say, she was grateful to have me back when I returned.

I smiled against her lips as she moaned. "Daddy?"

I jumped and we separated. I looked at the entrance to see Shmi standing there, beaming at me expectantly. "Are you ready?"

She nodded quickly and smiled. I smirked and looked at Ahsoka again. "Go," she whispered. She stroked the side of my face and smiled. "I love you, Ani."

I kissed her once more and repeated her words, putting all of my love into it. There was no way she could ever doubt my love when I said it to her like that.

I stood and extended my hand towards her. She took it and I pulled her up. "I'll see you later then?"

"See you later, my love."

We kissed one last time, receiving a negative response from the little girl that was watching in the corner. I laughed and placed my hand on Ahsoka's back as we left the lounge.

Shmi grabbed my free hand and Ahsoka smiled at us. "Shmi, be good for Daddy, okay?"

"Always," she said, smiling widely.

I gave Ahsoka a longing look and she returned it. "Come on, Daddy," Shmi whined, tugging on my hand. She dragged me back a bit, but my eyes were locked with Ahsoka's.

"Get going, Daddy," she teased.

I cocked an eyebrow and smirked before sticking my tongue out at her. She laughed and I finally gave in, leaving with Shmi.

The two of us entered the training room and we began to set up. I levitated the mats into the center of the room and she went to get her training saber. "Daddy?"

I looked down at her. "Yeah?"

"Can we talk?"

I knelt down to level myself with her and nodded, shrugging. "Sure thing, baby. What's on your mind?"

"Are you and Mommy going to break up like you and Padme did?"

My heart shattered. "N-no. Why would you _ever _think that?"

"You love Mommy, but you've been really mad at her."

"Not recently." I paused. "Hey, how do _you _know that?"

We'd _never _fought in front of any of them. We usually stepped out of the bedroom before getting into an argument. "I… Daddy!"

I sighed. "Shmi, it's _not _a good thing to listen to Mommy and Daddy's conversations."

"I heard you guys at night, too. Daddy, what's a di-"

"And that's where I draw the line. Shmi, just take my advice, all right? When Mommy and Daddy talk sometimes, it's _private. _That means that your nosey, little ears shouldn't be butting into the conversation."

My heart was racing. I never thought she would listen to what Ahsoka and I talked about. I didn't even think she was _awake _when we talked about most things. She rolled her eyes at me.

"So you and Mommy are okay?"

I kissed her forehead and stroked her hair, smiling. "Mommy and I are more than okay. Were you afraid that we were going to break up?"

She nodded quickly. "I don't want to lose one of you. If you break up, I'll have to stay with Mommy and I don't want to be away from you again."

I glanced over her shoulder as I heard a gasp. "Soka –"

Shmi turned around and gaped at her mother who was now in tears. I stood up and ran over to her, holding her tightly. Her hands rested on my chest and she kept catching her breath, worrying me.

"Hey," I whispered.

"Why does she think we'll break up?"

"She was concerned. It's nothing. I told her that –"

"Mommy, are you okay?"

She pushed herself off of my chest and wiped her eyes to force a smile for the little girl who was _also _concerned. "I'm okay, darling."

"I thought _I _was darling," I whispered into her thoughts.

"_It was meant for you both._"

I stared at her as she knelt down and hugged Shmi. "I promise I'm okay."

"Daddy said you're both okay," she whispered.

Ahsoka's eyes lifted to me and she smiled. It was a _real _smile. Her hand rose and I took it. I rubbed her skin with my gloved thumb and whispered loving words to her that weren't meant to be overheard by the youngster in the room.

She let go of Shmi and my hand before standing up. "Love you," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Love you."

She pulled back and slid her hands over my shoulders. "I love you more," she teased.

"We'll see whether that's true or not shortly," I whispered, winking.

She giggled and kissed my cheek. "Do you two want dinner before you really get started?"

We looked at Shmi and she had a pouting face on. Her lower lip jutted out and I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped. "Come on, kiddo. Let's get some food in that stomach of yours and then we'll train."

She sighed and her shoulders slumped. "_Fine._"

"Go get ready for dinner," I called out after her as she started walking away.

"Fine!" she yelled back.

I stared at her back with wide eyes before regaining my control. "Hey, don't you _dare _get snippy with me!"

She looked over her shoulder in fear before bolting out of the room.

Ahsoka laughed and rubbed my chest. "Are you going to start calling her _Snips _now?"

I shrugged. "Well, you're just Soka or love now. I could call her Snips if the attitude keeps up. I wonder where she gets it from."

We both stared at the doorway. "_Padme_," we said simultaneously.

I sighed and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, leading her out of the training room. "Why did she think you and I were going to divorce?"

"I don't think she knows what divorce _is._ She overheard a few of the fights we had and thought we weren't getting along. Also, I think our midnight love-making conversations need to stay in our heads."

She paused and looked up at me in shock. "Did she hear me last night?"

I nodded and rubbed her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure she's heard me say worse things than that, so don't worry."

"What could you have possibly –?"

"I just learned that she's been listening in on us. Who knows what she's heard?" I laughed.

"Good point."

She leaned against me for more support and I held her.

We entered the dorm to see three wild children running around the room. It was adorable because Cayden had actually begun running with them. He kept crying out, "Mama! Mama!" over and over again.

Ahsoka giggled and wrapped her arms around my waist. I wrapped mine around her back and kissed her forehead. Cayden stopped when he saw me and raised his arms into the air. "Dada!"

I smiled and let go of Ahsoka, bending forward to lift my son into my arms. I held him on my side like Ahsoka had done many times. I glanced at her nervously and she gave me a confused look. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

"I feel like I'm going to drop him."

"You're holding him just fine, sweetheart. Don't tense up because he'll feel it."

"Really?"

"Yes, Ani."

After several minutes of messing with the kids, Ahsoka finally got me to settle down. I set Cayden down on the bed and began to feed him as the girls chewed their food audibly on their beds. Ahsoka came back into the dorm and smiled at me.

She sat on the bed and put my bowl of mush down in the middle of us. I glanced at it and frowned. "Still nothing good in there?"

"I gave the best I could find to the kids, Ani. I'm sorry…"

I turned over and pulled her face closer to me, kissing her gently. "No. It's fine, my love. I was just asking a question."

She began to spoon bits and pieces of the… _food _from my bowl into her mouth and I smirked. "Where's _mine?_"

She opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out with all of the food on it. I laughed as she pointed to it. "Just eat it, love."

She closed her mouth and continued to chew and I laughed again. I kissed her cheek and went back to feeding Cayden.

After the kids finished eating, they went off into the refresher to mess around for a little bit. Ahsoka and I were still very capable of hearing them if they needed us, so we just laid back on the bed and relaxed.

I took her hand in mine and stared at her face. "What's wrong, Anakin?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking about you. How have you been since…?"

"You're alive and I'm able to hold you at night. I'm getting to the point where it doesn't hurt me to think about it."

I kissed her jaw and she rested her hand on my neck. "I miss you," I whispered. After I said it, it seemed really stupid to say, but she understood it.

"I miss me, too."

I sat up and she leaned against me, hugging me tightly. "Things will get better soon, Ani."

I wrapped my left arm around her and held her rear lek, kissing her neck. "I hope so."


	2. Tension

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

I sat in the lounge with Anakin. His arms were circled around me and I was on his lap, resting the back of my head against his broad shoulder. He smiled down at me and I smiled up at him.

For now, this was our private conversation area. The kids kept invading on us in our bedroom, so we escaped and came here.

"With them around, we have no time together," he whispered. "But it is a part of parenting. We can't always rely on Satine and Obi-Wan to take them from us."

"We need to return the favor."

He looked at me and smirked. "Round up the kids and lock them in a room. Obi-Wan and Satine will leave and _we _will have a room to ourselves as well."

I giggled. "Oh, so you're planning to get rid of us, little one?"

He jumped slightly and smiled at Obi-Wan. "Of course not. We were just talking about possibilities."

"Satine and I have been talking about that as well. We believe you two need a vacation."

The two of us gaped at him. "What?"

Anakin lifted me off of his lap and set me down on the chair. He stood and walked over to Obi-Wan, resting his hands on his shoulders. "Are you mad, man? When was the last time you and Satine went out without children?"

"I refuse to answer that question."

I giggled again and stood up. Anakin wrapped his arm around my waist and we both gave Obi-Wan a pleading look. I decided to speak up for once. "Please," I begged, dragging the word out. "Go on vacation with Satine?"

"Only if Anakin drops down onto his knees and begs."

"I'd throw myself into the sarlacc before I did that." We both chuckled and I hugged Anakin.

"Fine, I'll ask her and see what she says."

I jumped up and down excitedly and Anakin smirked. "You two look as though you're going to party without us or something? What are you up to?"

"Nothing," we both said.

"Cayden might be waking up now," Anakin whispered, giving me a very serious look. He'd been like this for a while. Every time we left the room, he was worried about the baby. Though Cayden was nearly a year old, Ani still felt like something was going to happen to him.

"You two go check on the children. I'll speak with Satine and get back to you two."

I nodded as Anakin began to drag us away. "Relax, sweetheart," I whispered, leaning up against his side.

"I'll relax when he gets older."

"How much older?"

He paused and stared at me. "Shmi's age."

"Ani, she's _eight. _You aren't worried about Kaimi. She's only four."

"I'm worried about you and you're twenty-one."

"I'm worried about _you _and you've died before," I whispered. We barely ever mentioned it and he knew how horribly it hurt me to think about it.

He slammed me against the wall and kissed me passionately, holding my wrists above my shoulders. His body was right up against mine as he kissed me. It was such an exhilarating kiss and I never wanted it to end. Unfortunately, we both needed to gasp for breath.

His mechanical hand hurt my left wrist a little, but I didn't want him to think that he was doing something wrong. After we parted for breath, he trailed his lips along my jaw and neck.

I arched my back and pressed my front up against him, moaning. "Ani…"

"I love you," he whispered. "_So _much."

He rubbed my wrists as he held them in place. I stared into his eyes and saw all of the emotion inside of them.

A few Jedi passed us and stared. I became a little self conscious, but Anakin didn't seem to care at all. He pressed his lips against mine and devoured them in a very loving manner.

A few Padawans snickered or gasped as they passed. If they so much as made a joke about us being Sith, Anakin would kill them.

I heard whispers about the dark side in between snickers and I hoped that Anakin hadn't. Judging by the way he was kissing me, he'd either chosen to ignore them or just didn't care.

I heard the children down the hall and one shouted, "Someone call the Grand Master! There's Sith in the temple!"

He lifted his head quickly and we separated. As Anakin ran down the hall, the boys snickered. I growled at them because they'd given him a false alarm. "Hey, gorgeous," one of the older Padawans whispered, whistling at me.

I smirked and lifted my hand, clenching my fingers together. "What did you just call me?" I whispered, raising an eye marking.

He gasped and struggled for breath as I lifted him into the air. "Master Skywalker, please!" the girl begged. She and the boy must have been close because of the fear in her eyes. "He's my brother! Please, don't hurt him!"

I clenched my fingers tighter together, losing myself in the moment. I could imagine a tiny girl in his place. The girl that had taken my husband's life _twice._

I was jerked out of my vision by a tight grip on my wrist. "Soka," he whispered, staring into my eyes, searching for something that might explain my actions.

I looked at him with widened eyes. The boy collapsed to the floor and clutched his throat, coughing and gagging.

Anakin rubbed the side of my face as my vision began to blur. "A-Ani." My voice broke as I said his name.

"Go to your quarters and do _not _speak a word about this incident or I'll have you removed from the Order for a false alarm," he growled. "The Sith are _no joking matter._"

The kids scurried out of view and I kept my eyes on his face as he turned his attention back to me. "What happened? Why did you choke him?"

"I didn't even see him," I whispered, the tears falling from my eyes.

He wiped them from my cheeks. "What do you mean?"

I stared into his expectant eyes and gasped. "Anima."

His voice grew deeper and worried. "What happened?"

"I saw her instead of the boy," I whispered.

He glanced around before meeting my eyes again. "Listen, my love, we're safe here. Anima wouldn't dare infiltrate the temple."

"You never know, Ani."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I –" He gasped and fell to the floor, shaking uncontrollably.

"Anakin!" I screamed. I pressed my hands against his chest and watched him writhe around, almost as if something were taking over him. His eyes had rolled back in his head and I was scared out of my mind. "Help!" I screamed. "Someone!"

Master Luminara Unduli, a recent Jedi that had survived Palpatine's executions, ran out of the medbay and stopped when she saw us. She and Anakin had been close before, but not in the sense that he and I shared. She had almost been like a mother to him at one point in his life.

She collapsed beside him and took his flesh hand in hers, resting the other hand on his forehead. Tears were streaming down my face as I watched her attempt to help me. She made painful sounds as he began to scream. He sounded like a banshee, screeching at such a high pitch.

I held his mechanical hand tightly and felt my heart leap into my throat. His back arched and his eyes closed. I could hear his teeth grinding against each other for quite some time. I found myself silently begging for whatever spirit that was listening to help him…

He let out a bloodcurdling scream before lying back down onto the floor. "Ani," I whispered, brushing his sweaty hair away from his face.

A sudden spark erupted from his skin, hitting Luminara and I at the same time. We pulled our hands back and stared at him as he sat up. His eyes were still the white coloring and I realized that something was _wrong._

"Ahsoka Skywalker?" his voice growled, echoing in the hall. I could hear the feminine voice hidden in his own.

"Y-yes," I stuttered.

"If you want your husband to survive, you had better stop threatening me."

"Leave him alone," I whispered.

"_I _am calling the shots here."

"You're his niece. Why are you trying to hurt him?"

Anakin's eyes closed and he leaned towards me, falling into my lap. I stared at Luminara in horror and ran my fingers through his hair. He suddenly began to cough, blood dripping onto my legs.

"Anakin, is that you?"

He slammed his fist down onto the floor and pushed himself up. "I'm going to kill her!" he screamed, his own voice there.

"Ani, please –"

"_No._ You don't have to listen to the things she says to me. You have _no _idea what it's like to share a body and mind with that… that _monster!_"

I stood up and placed my hands on his chest. "Please, please, don't do anything…" My hands and voice were shaking as I stared up at him. "I don't want something horrible to happen to you. I love you."

He held my hands on his chest and I burst into tears. "Soka, love, please, don't cry…"

I watched his eyes travel to Luminara, still kneeling on the floor. "Anakin –"

"I'm okay, mom," he whispered. He forced a smile and I felt how touched she was by him calling her his mother.

He extended his arm towards her and helped her up. He hugged her and I smiled at him despite the tears. He looked over her shoulder to stare at me.

I could see that he wanted to have a conversation with me about this, but it would only hurt me more.

The two of them backed away from each other. "If you need a healing session, don't hesitate to come to me, my dear."

"Of course," he replied.

Another forced smile crept across his features before he took my hand in his and led me back to the room.

We crept inside quietly to see all three kids passed out. Cayden was sleeping in Kaimi's bed with her and Shmi was lying beneath Cayden's crib.

Anakin silently walked over and carefully pulled her out. He picked her up without jostling her around too much and took her towards her bed, laying her down.

I crawled across the bed and laid on my back, watching him tuck all three of our babies into bed. He left Cayden with Kaimi, not wanting to wake either of them up.

He removed his shirt and tossed it down onto the floor before turning around to face me. "Come here, my sweet hearted man."

He smiled weakly before crawling slowly across the bed. He positioned his body above mine and his arms beside mine. He lowered himself to rest on my body and he began to kiss me slowly.

He rubbed my cheeks and moved himself over me, tempting me. I slid my hands beneath his arms and wrapped them around to hold his shoulders. He breathed on my neck and kissed my skin gently, pressing his soft lips against me.

"Ani, I – I love you," I gasped.

"I know," he whispered between kisses.

I bent my knees at his sides and he moved his lips back to mine. He grinded against me before we heard Cayden begin to whimper. We both sighed and he moved back, cursing under his breath. "I've got him, love."

He slid off of the bed and I groaned, rolling over onto my side. I closed my eyes as he came back to the bed. He laid down to face me and rested Cayden between us.

I opened my eyes briefly to watch him stare and smile at our son. Both of my men seemed very happy to be cuddling up against each other. Cayden gripped Anakin's vest tightly and nuzzled his face into the folds.

I smiled and Anakin's eyes lifted to meet mine. I leaned forward and over Cayden, kissing his lips quickly. Once I pulled away, we both smiled at each other.

**A/N: Normally, I wouldn't add an AN in to reply to a review, but I wasn't able to send you a private message. **

**MassiveAnisokaFan, I decided to rewrite the story, so I deleted the whole thing. I apologize for leaving you hanging where I left off! There's no glitch at all. Here's the second chapter. ;) I'm hoping to update this more often, so I hope you stay interested.**

**As for the rest of you, I hope you enjoy the rewritten version of **_**Rising and Falling 4.**_** Thanks to all of you who read and review my stories. I appreciate your kind words! **

**Until next time,  
>-A28<strong>


	3. Nightmares and Accusations

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I heard screams, bloodcurdling screams. It was, by far, the _worst _sound I had _ever _heard and I couldn't get it out. I ran as fast as I could toward the sound, but, as I neared it, it shifted into another position, making it _so _much more difficult to actually locate it. The voice itself wasn't that of a male or female either. It sounded _genderless._

I stopped moving and glanced around at my surroundings, hoping for something to just pop out at me. I knew this was a nightmare several running rounds ago. Still, I was trying to find out what I was supposed to learn here. Most of my nightmares came true, so I wondered what this one was going to tell me.

There was a white mist up to my knees now and I slowly began to walk towards the screaming. A shadow loomed over me and I spun around quickly to see my mother, an enlarged and ghostly form. "_What do you fear, my son?_"

My throat felt constricted, but I still managed to choke out, "_Nothing._"

She shook her head and waved her hands. The mist flew up around my body, enclosing me in a white cocoon. I tried to force my way out of it, but I was _stuck._ "_It is impossible to have no fear. What do _you _fear?_"

I continued to struggle even as I felt the misty cocoon lifting from the ground in this living nightmare. I tried to think quickly and realized that this was one of those 'soul-searching' nightmares where I attempted to learn more about myself than I truly realized. "_I fear… losing Ahsoka._"

She chuckled and the cocoon opened suddenly, allowing me to free fall fifteen feet. I hit the ground and grunted. "_There. Was that so hard, my son?_"

"_What's the point of my fear?_"

She knelt in front of me as I lay on my stomach, propping myself up on my elbows painfully. She stroked my hair and smiled at me as she used to when she was actually alive. Her form shrunk to human size and she spoke again. "_Your fear will fuel you. Your future was rewritten once and will not be rewritten again. Keep your fear in mind as you make your choices._"

I stared at her in confusion, understanding very _little _of what she just said. Her body began to shake and transform into a darker, evil being. Though I couldn't use my Force abilities within this nightmare, I was still able to sense the vast amount of darkness within her now. I pushed myself up and tried to run away from her before it could register that I was still here.

Vines wrapped around my ankles and pulled, knocking me down once again. I slid back towards my original position. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a _monster._ It was a large demon with glowing, red eyes that had a fierce smile curved on its enlarged lips. I tried to grip the ground for something that would stop the pull, but I found _nothing._

My heart was racing as I panicked and I was launched up into the air, its vines still holding me by my ankles. I gasped as I was held upside down in front of this creature, my shirt folding up. "_What do you want?_" I whispered.

It cackled and, when it did, lightning struck behind it. I heard a small scream below me and I glanced towards it, only to see Ahsoka being chased by smaller versions of this demon. "_Ahsoka!_" I screamed.

It was almost as if she didn't hear me. She kept running until she was entangled in their vines as well. I couldn't even see _her _anymore, but I could hear her being strangled within as she screamed for me. Her screams were muffled and desperate. She writhed around in her cocoon and I hung there, not being able to do anything to save her.

Her screams were beginning to die down as were her struggled motions. Eventually, it all came to a silent pause. The cocoon opened and my love fell, crashing down onto the grass in a motionless heap. "_Ahsoka, no!_"

My eyes opened and I lurched into a sitting position, gasping for breath. I could feel beads of sweat _everywhere _on my body as I trembled. I moved my hands about quickly and felt the warm sheets of my bed. Warm hands rested on my chest and I heard frantic breathing beside me. "Anakin?"

I glanced at her and sighed, lifting my hands to brush my hair back. "What happened? Did you have a nightmare?" I nodded slowly and she pulled my head against her, stroking my hair soothingly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It was one of those nightmares that I had to look at on a deeper level, but I still don't understand it." I looked at her and she gave me a concerned look, begging me to go on. "My mother asked me what I feared. At first, I told her that I was afraid of nothing, but she asked again. I told her the truth and then…"

I closed my eyes and she rubbed my shoulder. "What _are _you afraid of?"

"Losing you," I whispered. "You're my _everything._ You always have been."

She smiled weakly at me, not knowing what to say to that one. She kissed my jaw and slid her hand down my back. "Don't worry, Ani. You'll _never _lose me."

"That's the thing," I whispered. "There are so many ways that I _could _lose you. There's not just one, there's a million ways. Ahsoka, it would break my heart to think that you're out there with someone else, but at least I'd know you were happy and alive. In my nightmare, you were dying…" She swallowed and looked at me in fear. "If I lose you to fate, I won't be able to live. You're what's keeping me together."

I lifted my head from her neck and pressed my lips against her jaw. Her arms wound around my neck and she smiled at me. "You can't lose me. You're _too _protective of me to let me go. I can't even walk out of the temple without you sneaking around behind me."

I chuckled. "You know I was doing that for your own good. With the reports going around that problems are arising in the streets, I can't just let you go out there. I love you too much and I need to keep you safe. You remember the night after we got married?"

"Of course, my love. How could I forget?"

"I vowed to you that I would keep you safe as long as we were together. I don't want to go back on my promise to you."

"You've done it before." I stared at her, saddened by her words. She grabbed my hand and held it tightly. "_That _is not what I meant. I was teasing you. Ani, don't take my words so literally. I love –"

"When have I gone back on a promise?"

"Ani, just drop –"

"No. You wouldn't have brought it up if it didn't mean something to you."

"So everything I say _has _to have _meaning _behind it now?"

"I didn't –"

"_No_," she said, mocking my voice. "Apparently I can't just _talk _to you anymore. I have to make an appointment to have sex with you. I have to ask permission to leave the temple. I have to –"

"_Excuse me?_"

She stared at me, her eyes widened. I pulled my hand away from her and she scrambled to keep me from leaving. I pushed myself off of the bed and pulled my robe into my hand as I walked towards the door. "Ani," she whispered, her voice begging. "I didn't mean that."

I spun and stared her down. "What _did _you mean? Am I neglecting you? Am I _controlling _you?"

She backed away and held her head in her hands, crying quietly. "I _don't _know. I feel like we're pushing each other away. We have good moments here and there, but we're always following each other. I've followed you out before. It's like –"

"You followed me?"

"_You _followed _me!_ Do you _not _trust me?" she shouted.

I grabbed her wrist and she stared at me, her eyes accusing. "I _trust _you with my life. When have I ever given you reason for you to believe otherwise? I followed you for your safety!" I whispered.

I could hear the kids stirring on the other end of the room. "I don't want to talk about this in here," she said.

"Oh, we're _talking?_"

She glared at me and shoved me aside, moving past me to leave the dorm. I stormed out after her and stared at her until she turned around. "What is going on?" I asked. "Why are we fighting?"

"You don't trust me. Why don't you just tell me that? Do you think I'm having an affair with someone?"

I bit my lip. "I _didn't _until _earlier._"

"What happened earlier?"

"You left when your Holo went off. You got a transmission from Bonteri."

"_You _answered _my _call?"

"Who is _he?_"

"He's an old friend I met during the early part of the Clone Wars."

"_Are _you having an affair, Ahsoka? If you are, I want you to be honest."

"Ani, my love, I _love _you. Why do you think so lowly of yourself? You honestly think I'd leave a sweetheart like you for someone else? Ani, you mean everything to me. If I wanted to leave you, I would have told you that I wasn't happy with you. I _am _happy with you. _You _make me happy. I'll never cheat on you like –"

She placed her hand over her mouth and I sighed, glancing at her with a bit more ease. "Like Padme, I know."

"I'm –"

I held my hand up, silencing her. "Listen, okay? _You _and _Padme _are _two _completely different people. I loved her at one point in my life and I've sworn to you that I'll never go back to her. I fell for you and I've fallen hard. You're all I want."

"And _you _are all _I _want, Anakin," she whispered.

"We're a classic cliché couple," I teased, laughing lightly. I leaned forward and kissed her gently.

"What do you mean?"

"We fight one moment and then we're making up the next. I'm sorry for starting something. I should have just dropped it like you wanted me to. If it means so much to you, I'll stop following you out. I want you to know that I trust you. I just… I worry about you a _lot._"

She pressed her palms against my chest and rubbed slowly. "I understand, my love. I really do. You've _always _been perfect because of this. I love that you worry about me even if I don't need you to save me, my Master." She giggled and rested her head against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and clasped them on her lower back. "I love you, Anakin. I always will."

Sweet silence hung for a moment and I heard her giggle. "Even if you're a jerk," she muttered. I rolled my eyes and kissed her montrals.

"Want to see me be a jerk?"

"How are you going to do that?"

I chuckled, drifting off into a fantasy world for a moment. "How about you and I go to the training room? You can only wear a tank top and those _really _short shorts that I bought for you a couple weeks ago."

"In the middle of the night?" she asked, laughing quietly.

"Hey, I can keep you up _all _night, my sweet."

She giggled and squeezed me as tightly as she could. "This is why I love you. Your sense of humor is wonderful."

I pulled back and stared down at her. "You think I'm kidding?"

She smirked up at me. "No. I know you're right. You've kept me up all night before." She winked before getting onto her toes to kiss me. "You go wait for me in the training room. Make sure you take your shirt off."

"Lock the door on your way in," I whispered. She giggled and I rubbed her left side gently before kissing her fiercely. "I'll see you shortly then?"

"As soon as I change, we can '_train_.'"

She kissed my chest before turning around to walk into the bedroom once again. I shook my head and realized how lucky I was to have a wonderful wife like her. We could get through _anything._ We could fight and _still _make up in the same hour, followed by some make up _loving._

I chuckled and turned, making my way towards the training room.

**A/N: Yay! I'm finally back into this one! I apologize for not updating in quite some time. To be honest, I've actually missed this story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to work on the next one soon.**


	4. Training Love

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

Anakin and I walked towards the training room door. I pressed my back against the door and smiled up at him. He held my hips and returned my smile. That had to be the _best _'_training session_' we'd had in quite some time. I brushed his sweaty hair back and he leaned forward to kiss me quickly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than better," I teased. "Ani, any moment I have alone with you is wonderful. It's even better when there are _obstacles _on the floor."

He chuckled. "Sorry." I saw the deep blush burning his cheeks as he smiled at me. I shrugged and rested my hands on his shoulders. "So it was still fun?"

"Yes, my love. It's been a while since I've had _that _much fun."

"I'm not sure if you're teasing me." I smiled and he rolled his eyes. "Don't do that," he said, laughing. "You know how I am about this, Soka."

"I know, I know. You're all insecure and paranoid over _nothing._ Love, how many times do I have to tell you that you _always _make me feel great? You don't even have to try." He pressed himself against me and kissed my neck as I continued to speak. "You're my wonderful, loving husband that I'll never be able to get enough of. I love you and everything _about _you."

He straightened up and smiled at me. "What do you say we try out that new medical bed in the medbay? You know, just to make sure it's stable…"

I giggled and he smiled wider. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He smirked and I slid my hands across his shoulders, rubbing his neck. "Well, I don't think Cayden will be up yet. We've got time."

He chuckled. "You look tired."

"Hey, I just had the most exhilarating exercise in a few days. Of course I'm tired, silly man."

He raised an eyebrow at me and his smirk became _much _cuter. "So _I _am the silly one? I thought it was you, Miss '_oh, I can't get on it, Ani._' You just wanted me to hold you."

I pointed at the training machine he was talking about and he glanced at it. "_You _try getting on that thing."

"Watch me."

It was a bed that was a bit _too _high for me to hop onto without using the Force. He, of course, was a little taller than me, so I assumed he wouldn't have a problem. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to me. "Love you, Ani."

He pressed me against the door a little more so I was flat against it. I was surprised when he grabbed my legs and lifted them. The only thing I could grab onto in time was his shoulders. I giggled before he began to kiss me sweetly.

Without any warning at all, the door slid open and he nearly dropped me. I held onto him tighter and shrieked a little at the sudden motion behind me. Anakin clutched onto me tightly, holding me against him.

Obi-Wan stood there, staring at us in surprise. He glanced at my outfit and Anakin's _lack _of outfit. The only thing he had on were his pajama pants. "I take it I was interrupting something?"

Anakin and I _both _blushed simultaneously. He set me down and I pressed my hand against his stomach, smiling at Obi-Wan, dressed in his _entire _training outfit. "We were… practicing," Anakin mumbled.

"For what? The next generation?"

"We already have another generation," I teased.

"Dear Force," Obi-Wan whispered. In reply, Anakin and I laughed. I looked up at Anakin and he looked down at me.

His eyes widened for a moment before he reached up to my chest and fixed my shirt. My blush got _worse _as he fixed my outfit. He crouched down in front of me and pulled my shirt down before moving his hands to pull my shorts down a little. He kissed my bare leg slowly before standing up again.

"Is it safe to assume _all _of these machines have been tainted for your purposes?"

Anakin rubbed the back of his neck before pointing to an awkward machine about five feet from us. "We didn't use that one." We all glanced over at how awkward it looked. "Neither of us could fit into it," Anakin whispered.

I burst into laughter at the look on Obi-Wan's face. "You _do _realize that is Master Yoda's training machine? Force, I'll just go for a run."

"Oh, hush," I teased. "We cleaned everything off."

"I don't trust the word '_we_.' If you said _you _did, I _may _believe you a little more."

"Okay, let's go," I said, laughing lightly.

Anakin took my hand and began to lead me out of the training room. "We'll be in the medbay testing the new medical bed if you need us," Anakin called out, a laugh in his tone.

"Oh, for the _love _of –"

I loved the sound of Anakin's laughter. It made me happier just to know that _he _was happy. Things hadn't been going so well for him lately, what with Anima possessing him and his nightmares… I looked up at him and saw his blue eyes sparkling. It made _me _smile.

"What's that look for?"

I snapped back to reality to see him giving me a concerned look. I laughed and he stroked the side of my face. "Ani, I like seeing you happy. That's all. You were worrying me for a while."

"I know I haven't been myself in the last few months, but I'm trying to get back on track."

"Ani, you used to sit on the windowsill in the lounge and stare out at the speeders. You wouldn't talk to anyone for hours. You wouldn't eat… You wouldn't sleep…" He circled his arms around me and I sighed, staring up at him with a sadder expression. "I was _so _worried that I was going to lose you. You were running off of sleep deprivation and starvation and whatever else-ation and I couldn't watch you suffer anymore without suffering myself."

"I'm better," he whispered. "I promise."

I smiled and he leaned forward, kissing me. "I love you, Anakin."

"I love you, too, Ahsoka."

"Always and forever," we both whispered. He took my hands in his and squeezed them gently.

"What do you say we try to go back to sleep?"

"Only if you carry me."

He rolled his eyes and let go of my hands. He scooped me up into his arms and I giggled uncontrollably. I was always impressed by his strength. It just seemed that he was stronger as of lately. I noticed that he was _extremely _powerful with the Force now – more so than before – and he sometimes hurt me unintentionally when we made love.

I had a couple of bruises to prove that. He noticed them and asked me where they'd come from, acting shocked and _completely _hurt when he learned they were from _him._ He and I talked about the possibility of him being stronger since Anima had resurrected him twice. She was a demon after all…

He rocked me gently as he carried me back to our dorm. "You know what we should do?"

"What?" I asked, finally coming back to reality.

"While – hopefully – Satine and Obi-Wan are out for a bit, we should go somewhere with _all _of the kids."

"Like where?"

He shrugged as we stopped outside of our dorm. "I don't know. Just somewhere fun and relaxing. The kids can play and we can… _play._"

I giggled and kissed his chest. "You're adorable when you're trying to hide what you really want to do right now."

He rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately, I believe we ruined Obi-Wan's training session because of what we wanted to do."

I threw my head back and laughed. "He should know by now that we can do it anywhere."

He smirked. "Good point."

I wiggled around in his arms until he set me down. I stared up at his handsome face. "I really do love you," I whispered.

He smiled warmly at me before stroking the side of my face with the back of his hand. "You have no idea how great I feel just knowing that. To hear it from your lips excites me to no end. I feel invincible when you say you love me. I feel like that's all I need to keep going."

I wrapped my arms around him and rubbed his warm back. "If that's all you need to feel like that, then I'll just keep reminding you." I closed my eyes and listened to his heart beating quickly in his chest. I wondered if he could feel mine at this moment. His flesh hand rested on the top of my rear lek and he kissed my montral tips. "My Ani," I whispered.

He chuckled. "I'll always be your Ani."

I pulled back to smirk at him. "You'd _better!_" I whispered.

"I can't think of a reason why I _wouldn't _be. I'm too in love with you and you're too in love with me."

"I'm too _too _in love with you, sweetheart."

"You're beautiful," he whispered, staring into my eyes. His eyes began to mesmerize me until I completely lost all of my senses.

My senses reawakened when I was against the door with my legs wrapped around his waist and his lips moving fiercely against mine. My hands were on his chest, his warm skin burning beneath mine.

After a few moments, I gasped for breath. He did, too, so it wasn't like I'd intentionally pulled away for some other reason. I smiled at him and he smiled before kissing my jaw. "I love you," he whispered.

I tightened my legs' circle around his waist until I could _feel _his excitement from below. I leaned forward as much as I possibly could until I kissed him. "And _I _love _you._"

He rubbed my hips before asking me if I wanted to head into the dorm. "That depends. Do you want to make love or go to sleep?"

"Either works for me," he teased. "Which would you prefer?"

"Let's start out with going to bed and see where that takes us."

He chuckled. "You can't keep your hands off of me, Ahsoka. You've proved that countless times when I've tried to go to sleep. You think _I'm _the one that craves intense love. It's _totally _you."

I knew he was teasing me, but it was kind of true. He knew that when I was tired, he was supposed to forget that he even wanted to make love to me in the first place. I, however, pushed him when he was tired until he gave in. I never realized that until now. "I'll let you go to sleep," I whispered.

"Hey," he whispered. "Why the sudden change of excitement? You don't seem happy anymore."

I wiggled out of his arms, setting my feet down on the floor. "Let's just go to bed."

"I didn't want to upset you."

"_You _didn't."

He grabbed me before I turned around to head into the dorm. "Tell me _what _did then."

I sighed and faced him completely. He stared at me concernedly. "You remember what you said when we fought earlier?"

"To be honest, no. Every time I get mad at you, I kind of forget what I'm saying. What did I say that's bothering you?"

"You… You asked if I felt like you were controlling me. Ani, do you think _I_ am controlling _you?_"

"Of course not. Is this because of what I just said?"

"No." He gave me a look and I sighed again. "_Yes._"

"Sweetheart, I _love _when you take over in bed. I _really _do. It's exciting. When I say that you don't let me sleep, I don't mean it in a negative way. I thoroughly enjoy it. If I didn't want you, I wouldn't take you." I smiled and he kissed the side of my mouth. "I don't care how late I stay up. I just want to be with you and feel you and… Well, _love _you. You're my wife. I'll do anything for you."

He wrapped his arms around me and I smiled, closing my eyes. I kissed his shoulder and sighed happily. "I love you so much right now."


End file.
